We met spring semester of senior year at UTK... go vols! Matt had a job lined up in Little Rock, AR and I was on my way to graduate school in Murray, KY. We were both headed a long way from Knoxville and a long way from each other. We spent some time getting to know one another before graduation and heading into our next chapter. As any good country song would go, summer ended, and we said see you later. I hit the books and Matt started his career, but we always found a reason to reach out to one another. Thankfully, Tennessee beat Alabama in 2022 and gave Matt another reason to reach out. The very next day, he drove to Murray, KY, took me to Rudy's on the square, and we talked for hours. After this, we trialed long distance for a little while and finally made it stick. I moved back to Knoxville, TN to finish my fellowship and Matt moved on to his next jobsite in Blytheville, AR. We chased the dotted lines on I-40 and made long distance work for two more years before we got engaged at the World's Fair Park in Knoxville on March 28th, 2025. We're now both in the same city in Jackson, TN and loving all the extra time we have together off the roads.